Webinars On-Demand

This page includes resources for our members, such as video and audio recordings of our webinars, presentations, and other information.
August 30, 2023
Webinar: Virginia Tourism Corporation Grant Opportunities 
Virginia Tourism Corporation (VTC) has a number of marketing leverage grant programs available that VRLTA members can take advantage of. Whether you're trying out a new campaign, running a seasonal special, or looking for ways to increase visitation - these grant programs can provide valuable resources to your organization. 
 
Join VTC's Grants Director Staci Martin, Grants Specialist Noah Salaah ad-Deen, and Grant Coordinator Caleb Leech as they give an overview of upcoming grant opportunities available through VTC, some tips on how to apply, and best practices. 

Download The Presentation Here

September 20, 2022
Webinar: The Top Ways You Can Beat The Hiring Crisis
Today’s job market is exceedingly competitive. Almost every business has a “now hiring” sign in its window, and they’re all looking for someone who is ready to return to work. With so much demand, you’ll need a major competitive advantage if you want a chance at landing applicants.
 
Join Hiring Specialist Dom Casaus and Marketing Expert Mac Jones as they discuss how Workstream can help the VRLTA members staff their restaurant, hotel, or travel attraction.
August 1, 2022
Webinar: Virginia is for Lovers *FREE* Digital Marketing for Restaurants, Attractions and More!
Learn from Robin Mamunes, Digital Marketing Content Specialist with the Virginia Tourism Corporation how to add your business or event to Virginia.org. Whether you’re creating a new presence on the internet or expanding your current digital marketing efforts, you can’t afford to miss out on this *FREE* travel marketing service.

Virginia.org – the Commonwealth’s official travel and tourism website – all of Virginia Tourism’s marketing drives travelers to Virginia.org where consumers can find and book your attraction or business and learn what your locality has to offer.
Virginia.org is used by more than 16,000,000 visitors per year all with an expressed interest in Virginia travel. These visitors log on from all over Virginia, the US and the world. The system is backed by VTC’s multi-million dollar advertising campaign promoting the Virginia.org address and drawing users to the site. There is a lot of information on the web. Make it easier for travelers, travel agents and meeting planners to find you by listing on Virginia.org.

If you are a regional or local tourism office, make sure you’re using your free listings on Virginia.org to its full potential. Listed should be accommodations, special events, attractions, shops, restaurants, recreational activities and whatever tourism assets your part of the state has to offer. An unlimited number of listings can be created in your area, so use your marketing imagination.

July 29, 2022
Webinar: ERC Today Helps Determine ERC Eligibility
Learn from ERC Today about the valuable Employee Retention Credit (ERC) available to your business! The ERC is an expanded COVID stimulus payment (not a loan) that is available to the restaurant and hospitality sectors. ERC Today will focus on their proven process that greatly simplifies the process of bringing this benefit to our Association membership.
December 6, 2021
Learn about Virginia ABC’s VAL (Virginia ABC License-Portal) during an online presentation and demo. Once implemented in January 2022, the web-based software application is available to licensees 24 hours a day and accessible through the ABC website. Users are able to complete license transactions, payments, case management and other business operations within the system. Speakers for the presentation included Travis Hill, Chief Executive Officer of Virginia ABC; Thomas Kirby, Chief Law Enforcement Officer who provides leadership and oversight for Virginia ABC’s Bureau of Law Enforcement; Frank Monahan, Special Agent in Charge and project sponsor for the VAL Portal; and Linda Mahowald, Information Administration Specialist.
September 8, 2021
Patrick King, CEO of Imagine, a marketing agency for Tourism and Economic Development, shared insights regarding digital marketing for the real world and tips for how to build a brand while short on time. Key takeaways included how to create an email sequence that works without you, how to schedule your social media to hit your audience at the right time (in less time), and how to expand your digital reach with best practices. Imagine is based in Virginia with locations in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Norfolk. The webinar was sponsored by Cvent.
August 25, 2021
Shannon Crooks, Lead Generation Specialist | CRAFT Project Grant at the Department of Labor & Industry Division of Registered Apprenticeship, shared information on the Virginia Registered Apprenticeship program, an employment training model that produces highly skilled workers through a combination of on-the-job training and related technical instruction.
July 14, 2021

This virtual panel discussion focused on Workforce Solutions to help employers identify educational and job training opportunities in Roanoke and surrounding localities. The experienced Workforce Development speakers included Zenith Barrett, MPA, Senior Director of Business and Community Engagement, Goodwill Industries of the Valleys; Cheryl Mosley, Community Solutions Center Director, Feeding America SWVA;  Morgan Romeo, Executive Director, Virginia Career Works; and Chef James Zeisler, Sr. CEC CCA CDM CFPP, Program Head of Culinary Arts, Virginia Western Community College.
July 14, 2021

Kristin Marie Clay, Senior Policy Analyst at the Virginia Department of Health, shared information regarding 2020 VDOH regulatory updates. Key takeaways included upcoming changes to Virginia Food Regulations, new requirements regarding standards for food establishments, and food worker safety requirements and enforcement.
June 23, 2021

​VRLTA  continued our webinar series to hear Jasmine Gore, Central Virginia Regional Program Manager, for the Virginia Values Veterans (V3) Program as she shares information about a FREE state certification program for employers. The V3 Program not only aims to educate and train companies on why it is a good business decision to recruit, hire, train, and retain Veterans, but also to help those committed companies meet their hiring goals.
June 10, 2021 
VRLTA offered a Lodging Component meeting for professionals in the hotel and lodging industry on June 10. The meeting covered information and updates that are directly related to the industry sector and that affect you, and included a welcome from component officers, a Government Affairs update, information on industry supports, and a lodging market review. Watch the full recording below.
June 9, 2021 
VRLTA's Restaurant Component meeting took place on June 9. The meeting offered information and updates that are directly related to the industry sector and that affect you. The meeting included a welcome from component officers, a Government Affairs update, and a panel discussion on employee retention. Watch the full recording below.
May 26, 2021 
VRLTA hosted a Travel Component Meeting on May 26 to discuss the creation, implementation, and best practices surrounding Tourism Improvement Districts. Speakers included Wirt Confroy from VTC and Tiffany Gallagher from Civitas. The group also got a quick update on legislative issues and had time for questions and answers. Watch the full recording below.
May 12, 2021 
VRLTA Webinar Wednesday: Employee Retention Credit (ERC) – Learn how your business can get additional cash flow now - The Capital Preservations Services team joined us to share information about recent changes to the CARES Act. There is  great news for employers! If you are a business owner with employees and your operations have been affected by government mandated COVID orders, you may qualify for a significant windfall in tax credits. Thanks to the CARES Act 2.0 passed in December, employers may receive up to a $19,000 tax credit for each employee. The original CARES Act provided a similar, but limited benefit. The new rules are complex, and qualification is determined by the facts on a case-by-case basis. Learn more by watching the webinar below.
May 5, 2021 
Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grants - Senator Mark Warner shared information about the RRF grants.
April 21, 2021 
Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grants - What you need to know now. VRLTA partnered with the Small Business Administration, the National Restaurant Association, and the restaurant associations for the DC area and Maryland to present information about the Restaurant Revitalization Fund Grants.

Watch the webinar here: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/3133609/8BB7C4127BC4C3506628EFFDB98966C3​
Download the SBA slides here: on24static.akamaized.net/event/31/33/60/9/rt/1/documents/resourceList1619032479503/webinarslidessba1619032469669.pdf
​Download the NRA slides here: ​https://on24static.akamaized.net/event/31/33/60/9/rt/1/documents/resourceList1618933416298/webinarslides1618933413504.pdf
April 7, 2021 
How to Grow & Market Your Business with DoorDash VRLTA has worked with DoorDash to award $450,000 in grants to restaurants across Virginia. We continued building on our partnership by offering the Webinar Wednesday focused on building your business using DoorDash and their suite of tools. In this webinar with Katie Witman, Senior Policy Advisor with DoorDash, you can learn more about DoorDash's Storefront, DoorDash Drive, and marketing solutions on Marketplace to grow your business on DoorDash - all ways to help you save. 
March 24, 2021 
The Post-Pandemic Workplace: An Employment Law and Human Resources Perspective This VRLTA Webinar Wednesday presentation gave us a new perspective on how COVID-19 upended the workplace as we know it. Experts widely speculate that we’ve fast-forwarded in the direction of working remotely by years. But what exactly does this mean? Is the future of work primarily virtual, and if so, what challenges does this entail? What is the new role of the physical workspace? What about employees who can't work from home? As business leaders collectively answer these questions in the coming weeks and months, this presentation explores the most likely post-pandemic outcome of the “hybrid workplace," in which more employees work from home more of the time. The webinar focused on the novel questions and challenges this raises from an employment law, management, and human resources standpoint. Presenter Isaac Mamaysky is a Partner at Potomac Law Group who provides strategic business and employment law advice to management teams, in-house attorneys, and human resources professionals across industries. With deep experience in the hospitality and lodging space, Isaac approaches his clients' legal considerations with a business mindset.  
March 18, 2021 
NRA Slide Deck: Restaurant Revitalization Fund Becomes Law
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March 8, 2021 
NRA Slide Deck: Relief Efforts for Restaurants
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February 24, 2021 
PPP, ERC and Employee Vaccinations Webinar Wednesday continued with a presentation from the partners at Potomac Law Group. During the session, Derek Adams, a former Department of Justice trial attorney spoke about the PPP program, Susan Rogers, an experienced tax lawyer and former tax counsel to the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee discussed the ERC program, and Isaac Mamaysky, a partner who provides strategic business and employment law advice, shared information on vaccination laws. This webinar provides tailored guidance to the restaurant, lodging, and hotel industry regarding tips to maximize loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program, information on whether you may qualify for the Employee Retention Credit and how to go about claiming the credit—up to 5k per employee in 2020 and up to 14k per employee in the first half of 2021—and finally a look at employee vaccination laws and what employers can and cannot require.
February 10, 2021 
How to Gain Organic Traction on Your Instagram Page
Webinar Wednesday featured Stefanie Cainto, founder of Social Ads With Stef. She shared how food and beverage outlets, attractions, and accommodations can leverage organic Instagram tactics to increase awareness and gain traction around offerings. Stefanie's past agency work includes Marriott, Virgin Produced, and Visit San Diego. 
January 26, 2021 
Second round of PPP and Accessing COVID-19 Relief - Everything You Need To Know
VRLTA's informative webinar series continued with a look at the newest relief package - the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program. SBDC Manager Eric Byrd and VRLTA President Eric Terry provided an overview of the program and details on how to navigate the process to secure funding. Key takeways included: 
  • Which businesses qualify for this round of funding?
  • What do you need to do to apply for PPP funding?
  • How to work with your local community bank for funding?
January 6, 2021 
2021 Pre-Session Review of VRLTA Legislative Positions
VRLTA kicked off 2021 with a webinar to learn more about our legislative positions prior to the regular session of the Virginia General Assembly that convened January 13th. The session also covered topics including the importance of being involved in our advocacy, and discussed what issues we expected to garner significant attention during the legislative session. Speakers included Eric Terry, VRLTA President, Robert Melvin, VRLTA Director of Government Affairs, and Senator Lynwood Lewis. Senator Lewis serves at the Chairman of the Senate Local Government Committee. He represents the 6th Senate District of Virginia which includes Accomack County, Mathews County, Northampton County, and part of the cities of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. 
October 14, 2020
​Webinar Wednesday: To Your Health - Explore all of the NEW member healthcare benefits offered through VRLTA
Webinar Wednesday offered an opportunity to learn more about new member healthcare benefits from partners, UnitedHealth Group/Optum and USI Insurance Services. Speakers included Kimberlee Vandervoorn, Vice President of Consumer Solutions, UnitedHealth Group/Optum, and Holly Miller, Senior Vice President & Regional Non-Profit Employee Benefits Practice Leader, USI Insurance Services.
September 30, 2020
​Ordinary Awards Virtual Presentation
VRLTA held our annual Ordinary Awards program, which recognizes the best of the hospitality and tourism industries, virtually for the first time. Congratulations to all of the 2020 winners.
Finalist Announcement
Awards Presentation
September 9, 2020
​Webinar Wednesday: How to Comply with the new COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards
VRLTA continued our webinar series on September 9, with a webinar to discuss compliance for the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards, led by Jennifer L. Rose, CSP, the VOSH Cooperative Programs Director at the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry. She shared how restaurants, campgrounds, attractions, and hotels can better comply with the recently-implemented Virginia Department of Labor requirements around workplace safety. 
​August 11, 2020
​Webinar Wednesday: The 3 Ps of a Successful To-Go Alcohol Program
​Are you working to develop or enhance a to-go alcohol program for your restaurant? Do you have questions about the best way to do it successfully and profitably? We've got some answers for you! Our recent VRLTA webinar, The 3 Ps of a Successful To-Go Alcohol Program featured a panel of experts who covered the key aspects of starting or expanding your alcohol to-go program, helping you maximize income from this newly-available revenue stream. The session included information on: 
  • Policies – What are the legalities and considerations around selling alcohol to go? What are potential pitfalls?
  • ​Packaging – What are options for affordable and effective packaging? What works and what doesn't?
  • Promotion – What are some best practices around promoting your program? What methods and platforms work best?
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